Passport & Visa

Passports

Passport for three months
from date of entry required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above.

Visas

Required by all nationals
referred to in the chart above except the following:
(a) 1. nationals of Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovak
Republic and Slovenia travelling as tourists
(provided they are permanent residents of their
country);
(b) transit passengers continuing their journey
by the same or first connecting aircraft within
48 hours, provided holding onward or return
documentation and not leaving the airport.

Note: Nationals not referred
to in the chart above are advised to contact
the embassy to check visa requirements.

Visa Note

(a) Nationals
of Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland,
Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal,
Spain, Sweden, the UK and the USA can now obtain
a tourist visa on arrival at Manas International
Airport. (b) Nationals of the countries referred
to in the chart above may apply for a visa valid
for one month or less without providing a letter
of support from Kyrgyzstan (except countries who
do not require a visa, as listed above, and nationals
of Estonia, Hungary, Latvia and Lithuania, who
do need to provide an invitation letter).
(c) All nationals (except nationals of the UK)
are required to register with the department for
visas and registration within three days of arrivals,
hotels will normally carry out this service for
their guests.

Validity

Applications to:

Working Days Required

Three; one for Express visa
applications.

Getting there

Getting There by Air

The national airline is Kyrgyzstan
Airlines (R8).

Approximate Flight Times

From London
to Bishkek is 9 hours.

Main Airports

Bishkek Manas Airport
(FRU) is 30km (18 miles) north of Bishkek.
To/from the airport: There
is a minibus shuttle service to the city centre
when the airport is open (journey time - 30
minutes). Taxis are available 24 hours. There
is also a bus service (journey time - 45 minutes).
Facilities: Left luggage, crèche,
bars, restaurant, chemist, bank and bureau de
change.

Note: All but essential travel
to the south and west of Osh and to the Ferghana
Valley region is advised against, due to the
history of terrorist activity and armed violence,
and to the threat of landmines in the Batken
region and along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border that
Kyrgyzstan shares with other countries in Central
Asia. However, this should not deter travel
since most visits to Kyrgyzstan are trouble-free.

Departure Tax

US$10. Infants
and transit passengers are exempt.

Getting There by Rail

There are
rail connections with the Russian Federation (journey
time to Moscow - 3 days) and with other Central
Asian Republics. Tourists are advised that robberies
on trains have been reported.

Getting There by Road

The main
international road links are with Kazakhstan and
there are presently two crossing points into China
(PR); visitors should note that the Chinese authorities
normally require proof of an invitation by a Chinese
tour operator as a condition of entry.

There are regular bus links from
Bishkek to Tashkent (Uzbekistan) (journey time
- 10 to 12 hours) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) (journey
time - 6 hours); services leave the long-distance
(zapadni) bus station in Bishkek. There
is also a direct service to Osh from Tashkent
(Uzbekistan) via the Fergana Valley, but road
conditions are very poor on this route (see also
Uzbekistan section).

Generally, roads can be affected by landslides
(especially during spring in the mountain areas),
while winter may cause hazardous conditions on
a number of roads (especially on mountain passes,
some of which may be closed during certain periods);
visitors should also note that garage services
are very limited.

Note tour.tk: cyclists
don't need an invitation to enter China when entering
via the Irkeshtam pass.
It is also possible to enter Kyrgyzstan from Tajikistan,
for more info see the 'getting there' section
of Tajikistan

*
tba = price to be announced* January 2009: at time of writing 1.00 USD
= 40.93 KGSall prices have been taken from internet
resources such as wikitravel, hostel world, leading
supermarket chains, travel blogs, forums and of
course our own travel experiences and purchases
of everyday products in food markets, bazaars
and local shopping facilities. They are only an
indication and designed to give you a general
impression of the cost of living in Kyrgyzstan.
Items are geared towards the budget conscious
traveller with an occasional craving for a bit
of luxury.